Tornado and Hail in Iowa, July 19, 1995

Name: Tornado and Hail in Iowa, July 19, 1995
Start: 1995-07-19T14:09
End: 1995-07-19T17:15
Location: Iowa

July 19, 1995 · 15 events in 6 counties and zones

10 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $154,000
Crop damage: $197,000
Events: 15

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Grundy

When: July 19, 2:09 PM CST
Where: Grundy County, Grundy Center
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Grundy

When: July 19, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Grundy County, Conrad
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Tama

When: July 19, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Tama County, Grundy Center
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Tama

When: July 19, 2:34 PM CST
Where: Tama County, Lincoln
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Tama

When: July 19, 2:34 PM CST
Where: Tama County, Lincoln
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Fremont

When: July 19, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Fremont County, Hamburg
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 40.746, -95.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Tama

When: July 19, 3:02 PM CST
Where: Tama County, Traer
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: $150,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Tama

When: July 19, 3:02 PM CST
Where: Tama County, Traer
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $75,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When: July 19, 3:50 PM CST
Where: Benton County, Garrison
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Dickinson

When: July 19, 4:20 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County, Montgomery
Rating: F0
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 43.450, -95.220

A tornado sighted northwest of Montgomery moved east to the intersection on Highways 9 and 46. The tornado caused damage to crops, trees, and a machine shed.

Hail, Dickinson

When: July 19, 4:37 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County, Spirit Lake
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail caused extensive but undetermined crop damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: July 19, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Cedar County, West Branch
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Warm, moist, and unstable air streamed into Iowa ahead of an advancing cold front. In fact, the warm front passed north of the state during the morning, placing Iowa near the passage of the triple point in the system. Thunderstorms erupted well ahead of the cold front, in the warm sector, during the afternoon. A few of the storms became strong. Severe weather occurred in Tama County. Sixty mph winds swept through an area south of Lincoln. Golf ball-size hail pelted Tama County about six miles south of Guthrie Center causing considerable crop damage. Hail three-quarters of an inch in diameter damaged crops in the Traer area. Further east a few storms became severe over Benton and Cedar Counties. Trees were downed in several locations. Damage was done by high winds to a barn on one farmstead new West Branch. A shed roof was also damaged. High winds destroyed two hog sheds on a farmstead northwest of Tipton as well.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: July 19, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Cedar County, Tipton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: July 19, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Cedar County, Tipton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: July 19, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Cedar County, Bennet
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1995 Every state in 1995 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1995 Warnings in Iowa, July 1995

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10321728, 10321729, 10324266, 10324267, 10324268, 10321667, 10324269, 10324270, 10322247, 10321720, 10321721, 10321457, 10321458, 10321459, 10321516.